These are the top 10 most autumnal episodes of Gilmore Girls

Nothing says autumn has arrived quite like opening up Netflix and turning on the first episode of Gilmore Girls with your mug of pumpkin spiced coffee in hand, as the rain hammers down outside and Luke’s diner comes into view.

Gilmore Girls screams autumn (or fall, if you’re so inclined) with its cable knit jumpers, pumpkins everywhere and plenty of small town drama. When the sun shines in Stars Hollow, it just doesn’t feel right. I need Luke arguing with Taylor over fall window decorations, and Lane and Rory dressed as pilgrims as they discuss Rory’s first kiss.

But of all the Gilmore Girls episodes which are the most autumnal? Which one, when you switch it on, will make you instantly feel like you’re walking through a pile of orange leaves on your way to a roast dinner?

Well, we’ve done some serious Gilmore Girls rewatching in order to find the 10 episodes which will make you feel seriously autumnal.

These are the top 10 you need to watch straight away:

1. Pilot (season one, episode one)

It doesn’t get more autumnal than the first time in September when you open Netflix and hit play on the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls. It just gives an instant hit of that cosy nostalgic warm feeling you associate with watching Gilmore Girls. You know you’re in for seven seasons of mugs of coffee, woollen jumpers and wholesome family drama.

And the episode itself is pretty autumnal. We’re introduced to Rory and Lorelai’s coffee obsession, Rory goes back to school and Stars Hollow just looks as if it’s filled with crisp autumn air.

2. Kiss and Tell (season one, episode seven)

THE classic Gilmore Girls autumn episode. If you wanted to show someone who had no idea what autumn was, you’d show them the Kiss and Tell episode of Gilmore Girls.

There’s pumpkins, orange leaves, leather jackets and Rory and Lane dressed up as pilgrims for the harvest festival. It doesn’t get more autumnal than that.

The actual episode is also a pretty key one for the series as it includes Rory’s first kiss with Dean, the cornstarch episode! It’s also her first date with Dean, which Lorelai kind of gate crashes. Elsewhere Taylor and Luke fight about fall decorations.

3. They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They? (season three, episode seven)

Next up is season three, episode seven ‘They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?’ which whilst not necessarily autumnal in plot it still has the vibe going on.

In the episode Stars Hollow residents participate in a dance marathon and Dean breaks up with Rory after it becomes extremely obvious she is interested in Jess.

There’s plenty of pumpkins doted around the town and the general eccentricity of the Stars Hollow residents during the marathon is more than enough to make up for the lack of fall atmosphere in the rest of the episode.

4. Let The Games Begin (season three, episode eight)

The episode directly after ‘They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?’ naturally has a very autumnal vibe as it takes place the day after Rory and Dean’s breakup.

It opens on Rory and Lorelai sat in a pumpkin patch nursing their hearts and damaged feet.

A big chunk of the episode then takes place at Yale as part of Richard’s reunion and honestly what could give off more autumn vibes than a trip round Yale?

5. A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving (season three, episode nine)

As a non-American, even I know Thanksgiving equals big autumn vibes, so what could make it more festive than not one but four Thanksgivings?

Rory and Lorelai visit their many friends and family with a trip to Lane’s, Luke’s, Sookie’s and of course Emily and Richard’s for four different meals. And that’s basically all that happens in the episode.

6. The Fundamental Things Apply (season four, episode five)

The Fundamental Things Apply encompasses all the things you would want from an autumn Gilmore Girls episode – falling leaves, cosy movie nights and awkward first dates.

Yes, this is the episode Rory goes on her only romantic date that doesn’t work out. Elsewhere Luke joins Lorelai for movie night and Lorelai is designing the inn with an interior decorator Emily has already used.

7. The Festival of Living Art (season four, episode seven)

A few episodes later in season four we have episode seven which is even deeper into autumn and gives off elite cosy vibes, mainly from the Festival of Living Art.

The art show is peak Stars Hollow, with plenty of chaos and town drama and then of course there’s Sookie going into labour which just completes the episode perfectly.

8. Ted Koppel’s Big Night Out (season four, episode nine)

Look at Richard and Emily in their Yale caps, I might die from the cuteness. This episode sees the whole Gilmore clan head to the Yale versus Harvard football game.

I don’t know what exactly it is about this episode that screams autumn to me – maybe it’s the varsity sweatshirts, the tailgate Bloody Marys or the dysfunctional family argument but either way it’s a go to autumn episode for me.

9. But Not As Cute As Pushkin (season five, episode 10)

Cappuccinos at the pub, thin striped scarves, and Lorelai eating pie in bed – it’s an episode which screams you’re heading into October.

‘But Not As Cute As Pushkin’ is a pretty big episode in season five too. It sees Rory host a student from Chilton, Logan and the boys staging that embarrassing prank in one of her lecturers, Paris and Doyle sleep together and we’re introduced to Luke’s dark day.

It’s a hefty plot driven episode with a lot of autumn touches to enjoy as well.

10. Knit, People, Knit (season seven, episode nine)

They’re literally spending a whole day knitting in woollen hats and scarves to raise money for a bridge. This just screams autumn, and the whole episode is devoted to the buildup of this classic Stars Hollow event.

Turn it off at 35 minutes though, as that’s when Christoper becomes the Grinch who stole autumn by donating all the money to save the bridge.

Gilmore Girls is available on Netflix. For all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Featured image credit via Netflix.

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